Transparent glove



March 2, 1954 A S 2,670,473

TRANSPARENT GLOVE Filed Oct. 16, 1948 6b INVENTOR.

Jo/m/ A $75540 Patented Mar. 2, 1954 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

TRANSPARENT GLOVE Joan A. .Stebic, Cleveland, Ohio Application October 16, 1948, Serial No. 54,888

5 Claims.

This invention relates to a textile-handling glove; i. 'e., a sheath conforming generally to the shape of the human hand adapted to be worn when handling, inspecting, drawing on, or otherwise manipulating a wide variety of delicate textile products, including filaments, threads, yarns, fabrics and garments.

In manufacturing, packaging, distributing, merchandising and using such products, an economic waste of impressive proportions results from damage inadvertently done in the course of necessary handling. For example, in manufacturing textile fibers, snagging of the product on the finger nails or rough areas of the hand of the operator of a twisting machine may and often does occur, with attendant breakage, interruption of twisting and introduction of knots into the twist package. In. knitting, weaving, finishing and related operations, like accidents tend to occur with the development of runs and other quality-impairing defects. In making, displaying, examining, washing, donning and dofiing garments of a fragile nature, such as stockings, aggregate losses of large magnitude result from damage done by rings, wrist watches and other articles of adornment that become caught in the interstices of the fabric.

The present invention has for one'of its objects to reduce these losses by providing a textilehandling glove that can be made up inexpensively; that can be quickly slipped on or off, as required; that will not transmit or become moist from perspiration; that will be thin, soft, pliable and, when in contact with-the flesh, sufiiciently transparent to reveal the texture and color of the skin; that, by virtue of its membranous nature, will have an agreeable feel; and that, to the end of minimizing discomfortarising from the presence of a ring or rings on the third finger or one of the adjacent fingers, will preferably have the sheath for the third finger conjugated or partially conjugated with the sheath for one of the adjacent fingers. Other objects and advantages will become apparent as the description of the invention proceeds.

In its preferred form, which may be simplified or elaborated to meet the-needs of particular situations, the textile-handling glove of the invention is shown in elevation in the accompanying drawing.

In the figure comprising such drawing, the hand and wrist of the user are shown as encased in a transparent glove i having at the wrist portion thereof a cuff 2 of elastic textile fabric, a Shirred or puckered section 3, and a series of ventilating holes 4. -At the opposite end thereof, the glove has a division 5 accommodating the thumb, separate divisions I5 and l accommodating the index and middle fingers, and a single division 8, which is itself partially divided or incompletely conjugated, accommodating the third and fourth fingers, the tips of which are received in sub-divisions 8a and 8b, respectively. Between cuff 2 and divisions 5, 6, I and 8, the glove is so formed as to fit loosely, but Without undue bulkiness, over'the hand of the user.

The partial division or incomplete conjugation characterizing sheath -8 is-for the purpose, among other things, oLpermitting a somewhat greater V degree of freedom from binding in the portion of the third finger normally carrying the ring or rings. For most purposes, it has been found to be sufficient if there are available for the fingers not less than two nor more than three separate sheaths, not including the sheath for the thumb. For example, in drawing on a stocking it is entirely feasible 'to employ a sheath for the third and fourth fingers that is divided or incompletely conjugated.

The loose fit preferably characterizing the body portion of the glove makes it desirable, but not necessary, that a cuff 2 of elastic textile material be stitched or otherwise affixed thereto at a point at or above the area in which a wristwatch, bracelet or like article of adornment is likely to be worn. Thus glove I, measured from end to end, is preferably of a length such as to cover such articles of adornment. Although a cuff such as cufi 2 is not a necessary part of the invention, its presence is desirable in preventing loss of glove i as a result of what might otherwise be a tendency to fall off arising from the loose fit of the body portion thereof. The inclusion of cuff 2 makes it desirable to shirr or pucker the material, as at ,3, in the region where cuff 2 is attached.

Qptionally, a series of ventilating openings 4 may be provided or omitted.

The material of which the glove l is formed is preferably a membranous pellicle that is thin, soft, pliable and characterized, by virtue of its membranous nature, by an agreeable feel. Such pellicles are usually impervious to and incapable of becoming saturated by perspiration. Preferred for purposes of the invention are those that are transparent or sufficiently transparent, when in contact with the flesh, to permit the texture and color of the skin to constitute the background for the stocking or other product that is being handled. A highly glazed surface is permissible but not particularly desirable; accordingly, the pellicle will preferably be one that presents a slight resistance to drag of the product over its surface. A thickness or gauge of from 0.001 to 0.004 inch (1 to 4 mils) but preferably 0.0015 inch (1 mils) is considered best for present purposes. Pellicles of these characteristics are commercially available from a variety of sources.

Such pellicles are usually of the nature of syn thetic plastics, by which, for present purposes, are embraced such materials as synthetic polymers, synthetic elastomers, and plasticized derivatives of cellulose. Examples of synthetic polymers are poly-ethylene films (Polythene), polyvinyl chloride films (Koroseal), vinylidene chloride films (Saran), and films made from co-polymers of vinyl chloride and vinyl acetate (Vinylite). Synthetic elastomers include synthetic rubber-like materials (neoprene), rubber hydrochlorides (Pliofilm), and the like. Cellulose derivatives include, along with plasticized regenerated cellulose, cellulose esters, ethers and other derivatives; e. g., plasticized cellulose acetate.

Not all of the foregoing are equally transparent but in each category are one or more commercially available pellicles that are usually regarded in the trade as highly transparent.

Many of the materials to which reference has been made are thermoplastic in the sense that they soften on heating but regain their original characteristics on cooling. Consequently, they lend themselves to heat-sealing operations employing heated rollers, as well as to bonding on electronic sealing machines. In general, products of the kinds preferred for present purposes fuse at temperatures in the vicinity of 250 to 300 Fahrenheit, examples being plasticized polyvinyl chloride films. In some cases cements such as National Adhesives Companys Glue 2632 are available for bonding, but in general the use of conventional heat sealing machines is preferable. Other methods and materials may be employed if desired.

The method of manufacturing the glove can be i r varied widely, but the preferred method involves cutting to pattern and bonding together like halves or blanks, of which one becomes the top and the other becomes the bottom of the finished glove. When out to pattern, the edges can conveniently be sealed by the application of heat, including radiant heat, and the unfinished glove turned inside out to provide a smooth seam. Stitching may be employed in some cases, although wide stitching is desirable if the material is one that is likely to tear easily. In many cases the glove can be made by dipping or spraying a ceramic form, using a solution or suspension in a volatile carrier of the material of which the above is to be composed. Combinations of these methods may be employed, as by spraying a surface coating on a glOVB that has been formed by stitching and turned as above described.

Gloves so made may be worn without discomfort, this more particularly in view of the fact that the pellicles of which they are made are preferably membranous in character; that is to say, thin, soft, pliable and pleasant to touch. They are inexpensive to manufacture, which, from the sellers standpoint, means that they may be so priced that the purchaser will not hesitate to purchase them or, when necessary, to discard them and purchase replacements. In addition to being substantially incapable of be-- coming saturated with perspiration, they have the further virtue of being transparent or at least sufficiently transparent, when in contact with the flesh, so that the texture and color of the skin appear substantially unchanged. The latter feature is of particular advantage where the glove is used for the purpose of examining or displaying stockings.

For these and kindred uses, including a wide variety of industrial operations, the glove may be worn wherever and so long as there is danger of damage to textile products from rings, wrist watches, etc., or for any other reason making it advantageous to wear a. glove of this kind.

Changes may be freely made without departing from the above-disclosed concepts, particularly in respect of the materials employed and/or the configuration of the sheaths encasing the fingers. If desired for certain purposes, material colored in the mass, as by a dye, may be employed; similarly, one of the conventional pigments, such as titanium dioxide, may be introduced into the mass from which the material is formed for the purpose of reducing glaze or sheen. Apart from the thumb, the fingers may be individually sheathed or they may have sheaths in common, preferably, however, having the sheaths for not less than two nor more than three fingers conjugated or par tially conjugated to prevent too close a fit where a ring or the like is worn. For example, separate sheaths can be provided for the index finger and fourth finger with a conjugated sheath accommodating the middle and third fingers, such an arrangement having the advantage previously mentioned as arising out of the fact that binding that might otherwise result from the ring or rings worn on the third finger is largely or entirely obviated. Other changes by way of simplification or elaboration of what is above disclosed may also be made.

It is intended that the patent shall cover, by suitable expression in the appended claims, whatever features of patentable novelty reside in the invention.

What is claimed is:

l. A seamless stocking-protecting glove comprising a sheath of synthetic plastic material conforming generally to the shape of the human hand having therein a sleeve for the thumb, a plurality of separate sleeves for the fingers, a wrist portion, and, between the wrist portion and the sleeves for the thumb and fingers, portions integral therewith that are so formed as to fit loosely but without undue bulkiness over the hand of the user, the sheath of synthetic plastic material of which the glove is constituted taking the form of a seamless pellicle that is thin, soft, pliable, pleasant to the touch, impervious to perspiration and so highly transparent that when seen therethrough the texture of the skin appears substantially unchanged.

2. A glove as in claim 1 in which the synthetic plastic is one that can be dispersed in a liquid carrier to make possible the fabrication of the glove by a dipping operation.

3. A glove as in claim 1 in which the synthetic plastic is one that can be dispersed in a liquid carrier to make possible the fabrication of the glove by a spraying operation.

4. A seamless stocking-protecting glove comprising a sheath of synthetic plastic material conforming generally to the shape of the human hand having therein a sleeve for the thumb, a separate sleeve for the index finger, a separate sleeve accommodiating a plurality of other fingers, a wrist portion, and, between the wrist portion and the sleeves for the thumb and the fingers, portions integral therewith that are so formed as to fit loosely over the hand of the user, the sheath of synthetic plastic material of which the glove is constituted taking the form of a seamless pellicle that is thin, soft, pliable and so highly transparent that when the hand is encased wthin the glove the color and texture of the skin appear so nearly unchanged that if the gloved hand is introduced inside a stocking the color and texture of the stocking can be seen projected as if against the hand itself.

5. A hose mitten having a smooth finished ex terior surface, hand and wrist portions, and three sleeves attached to the hand portion for snugly receiving respectively the thumb and index fingers each in a distinct sleeve, and the other fingers of the hand in the third sleeve, all portions of the mitten being formed of transparent flexible elastic material.

JOAN A. STEBIC'.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date Carmean Sept. 28, 1920 Baskin Oct. 14, 1924 Dunn Sept. 15, 1936 Kessler Dec. 13, 1938 Wight Jan. 6, 1942 Kohler Dec. 22, 1942 Becker Feb. 9, 1943 FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date Great Britain Oct. 5, 1895 Great Britain Mar. 1, 1940 Great Britain Dec. 8, 1921 

